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 Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 9:57 pm
The spring sky was a tender pink, the dew weighing heavily on the thick blades of grass and the early morning birds already catching their worms. Beri'ah herself was wide awake with the nature, a water tight basket at hand with food she had mixed the night before for the gagan birds. She had traded with the weaver personally some time back so she knew she could trust it's integrity as being worthy for her purposes. While she was sure the birds could care less where the food came from, she liked to think that it was the thought that counted.
She gave a long, single toned whistle that echoed off the forest trees. From the canopy of green above came the hurried replies of beating feathers, the flashes of whites and occasional browns announcing the breakfast rush. Beri'ah stretched out her left arm to greet the flock. A few of the four winged creatures glided down to meet her, others directly to the basket, their talons sharp, but their bodies surprisingly light.
Their morning ritual was almost like a dance as they swirled overhead, swooping under and over, the breeze whispering its glee as it raced under their wings. As an apprentice, there was only so much Beri'ah was allowed to do. Of all the tasks she was appointed, however, this was her favorite. It was serene in the woods, a chalice of nature with no pressures or expectations of society. She knew the gagan birds missed the woods every time the caravan traveled out of a wooded area, but the birds loved the sky just as well so she knew they would be pleased anywhere.
Of course, Beri'ah couldn't meet them in the skies, so she had to contend herself to being bound in chains by the gravity that bore her weight.
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Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 10:28 pm
The soft dewy grass cushioned her hooves as she stood silently in a small clearing within the forest. Roz’s eye was closed, her swords out for display before her, her hands griping their hilts tightly as she kept her breathing slow and deep. It was as if she was waiting, waiting for something that only she seemed would signal the start to her morning routine.
A low whistle from afar reached her long ears before her entire body awakened, slowly at first. She battled with the shadows that crept alongside her with the light from the rising sun; her swords swinging this way and that in turn as she perfected her skill, her feet moving leisurely as she pushed the figures back from whence they came.
As the sun continued to rise she quickened her pace to match the orb’s, her dance becoming more fluid. For a few moments she kept herself blind, closing her eye as she let her mind take over and control her body as if on autopilot. Faster and faster she stepped, twisted, and spun. Her weapons made the occasional clang but only when she blocked her opponents.
Suddenly she leapt into the air and stared down at her enemy, her icy glare hopefully sending enough chills down his spine to paralyze him before she performed her special attack: the double cross. Using both swords she sliced through the air once before landing on one knee on the ground with a slight -klank- from her armor.
All this work brought a sweat to her brow as she stood, putting her blades away in their sheathes. Wiping her face lightly with a damp leaf she looked around, she didn’t recall seeing anyone else before she had left the caravan, so where had the sudden whistle come from? Cautiously she left her training ground, wary of whom or what she might encounter.
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Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 10:43 pm
Beri'ah looked up when, for a brief moment, she thought she had spied a flash of light. Her sharp blue eyes narrowed when she caught sight of the glint once again, focusing as it slowly dawned on her that it was a figure dancing in the shadows, the morning sun glinting off the blades that slipped through the air. The movements were swift, light, jumping forward without any bounds. It was like watching the reincarnation of a bird, dancing on the air with unseen wings. The final motion was a resolute one, a sharp, swift movement that left no doubts as to the strength behind it.
It took a moment before Beri'ah realized the figure was approaching her direction, not directly with a purpose, but more of a wandering motion, as if testing the grounds ahead. She felt guilty for having witnessed something that she considered to be a personal moment, though she couldn't return to her wagon until the birds finished their meal. Quickly hiding her unease with a neutral mask, Beri'ah looked back towards her birds, though her eyes betrayed her interest as they kept flicking towards the creature.
When the other Ursari came close enough, Beri'ah blinked in mild surprise to find her dancing bird to have been a woman. Having already decided to pretend she saw nothing, Beri'ah gave a courteous smile, careful not to move much so as not to startle the birds.
"Good morning." She called out pleasantly, though the battleground of her mind was trying to decide whether to be in awe of the girl's movement, or to be annoyed at the intrusion. Of course, the easiest way to make a decision was not to make one at all, which didn't exactly solve the problem, but it put her mind to rest and it was about as neutral as one could get, "A bit early to be up, isn't it?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 11:54 pm
Slowly but surely she combed the nearby area, her searching producing no answers to her mysterious sound. While casually looking behind a large slab of rock, something caught her eye. A white blur. She paused, hand on the stone as she looked towards its direction once more. There it was again! Her eye narrowed as she thought, could that be what made the noise she had heard? Was it friendly…Was there more than one? The only way she would ever find out was if she investigated further.
Peering through the small green leaves of a bush she saw a sight to behold. Not too far off she spotted a rather large flock of bird-like creatures gathering around to forage on the ground. Could those have been the cause of the whistle? She watched them slowly, her dull red eye tracing their flight patterns across sky as if they were fish swimming care-free in the ocean of the skies.
Watching one as it swayed to and fro her attention almost skipped over their main focus of attention. In-between all the commotion of their morning meal, she spied another female, one with wrapped hair just like she had. Roz sat there for a few moments, observing her movements with the utmost of care, determining whether or not she could be a potential threat. She hadn’t seen her around before, but then again she hadn’t really went around introducing herself to others… Her eye darted around, looking for a possible weapon before she concluded that she was harmless; simply feeding the birds in the wee hours of the morning.
Beginning to stand she noticed the girl look away from her task. Had she caught a glimpse of her routine? Of course that was highly likely seeing as how the light from her swords would have been a dead giveaway. Nonetheless she decided to venture closer towards the mysterious ursari, for some reason she wanted to learn more about her.
Stopping short just a few feet away she heard her utter a greeting. She didn’t seem interested in her in the slightest, probably best if she didn’t want word of her secret trainings to leak through the convoy. Roz didn’t reply to the greeting, keeping her words brief and unemotional so as to learn more than give, “No, I am used to odd hours of the day.” She looked to the small birds, slightly intrigued by their appearance, but showed no facial expression as she spoke once more. “Do you always come up here at this hour?”
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Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 6:13 am
Watching the Ursari with a critical eye, Beri'ah noted how the woman spoke with a neutral face of her own, words controlled, careful movement that didn't disturb the birds. Blue eyes glanced over her, noting the short, black rigged horns, the eyepatch and the one crimson eye that stared back at her. Had she not witnessed the earlier swordplay, Beria'ah would have assumed the other to have been a Thetana like herself. Calm, composed, serene, liked birds, a respected guard who woke up each morning at the same time, who would stop to smell the flowers, curl up by the fire at night with a good book to settle down, the knight in shining armor...
Of course, it didn't even occur to Beri'ah that she had just created an entire story and persona for this unknown entity. After the moment's pause, Beri'ah gave a nod, "Everyday at the same time. Routine is best for the gagan birds so they have some stability in between their travels and don't miss out on their feeding."
Beri'ah noted the birds had a less frantic flare to them, realizing that they were beginning to settle down as the basket of food was almost to the bottom. Leaning over, she hiked the basket up and turned it over, letting the bottom food bits fall to the ground for easier access as the birds now swarmed about her feet. Turning back to her newfound companion, Beri'ah continued her pleasant smile, "The armor looks uncomfortable. Do you wear it at all times?"
Normally Beri'ah was careful with her words, always saying the right things at the right time, always minding her own business. Now, however, she couldn't even tell that she might have been rude in her assumptions. She was used to being right, and the armor did look uncomfortable, so why not satisfy the curiosity in her mind? The young Thetana was of the thought that nothing ventured was nothing gained, unless there were books on the subject, then not much venturing was required.
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Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 11:19 am
Roz could feel the other’s gaze giving her the usual look over, a small radiating heat could be felt through her eye patch when she ran her cold blue gaze around the dark fabric. She had grown used to the stares, the others of the caravan not exactly greeting her with pleasant looks so she didn’t see anything different about the woman’s wary examination.
She finally decided to reciprocate her gesture, starting on her horns she began to make mental notes about her appearance in case she would meet her at a later date. The tips of her left fingers tingled slightly as she trailed down from the sight of her etched ridged horns to her soft, silky hair. Her red gaze quickly skimmed over her attire, not wanting to dawdle too long for fear she might seem rude.
The reply from the thetana was practically lost, traveling in and then out of Roz’s ears as her gaze affixed itself at the swarm of…gagan birds did she say? were gathering around below her, as if they had been hungry for days, this woman, their ‘goddess’ being their only means for food. The mercenary looked on in mock-amazement, admiring how she commanded the little birds, similar to how she herself took charge of others.
She blinked, her words actually sticking in her mind this time as she looked down at her right hand. How long had she worn this armor? She couldn’t quite remember nor did she want to sift through her memories to recite for the other. Crouching down to the pile of food, she slid her gauntlet-clad hand in-between the pecking birds and grabbed a small amount of their food. Rising, she held out her hand slightly, calling out some of the stray fliers to come and rest on her metal palm. “I’ve gotten used to my attire, I find it hard to live without it sometimes. I’d feel bare without the weight they place on me each and every day.”
The light-weight creatures made small clinking noises as they picked up the last bits of their meal from Roz’s grasp. She turned her head away from them, her crimson colored eye looking back into the cool blue, “Do these ever produce any noise?”
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Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 12:54 pm
Beri'ah didn't press the issue of the woman's attire any further, giving herself a light mental shrug as she moved away from the topic, "Noise? Well they do have a particular chirp of sorts, but they usually only do that when flying or landing."
Enthralled, Beri'ah watched as the warrior knelt to the birds. They were used to Ursari, and didn't shy away very often, so while seeing them greet her without hesitation was normal, somehow it was different this time. She felt like she had something stuck in her throat, though a quick ahem solved that little problem.
One by one the birds of her flock drifted back to the trees where they found a perch, fed and content with life, "All of the ones here are full grown adults. The younger ones we take care of back at the wagon since they're not fully trained to our calls and mail delivery and such."
It took a moment to realize that Beri'ah's eye had fallen back over the warrior. Reprimanding herself, she shook her head. Why was she feeling so flustered? She had just met this woman (of whose name she didn't even know, she reminded herself), so why did it feel like her cheeks were flushing? Beri'ah was suddenly angry at herself. This wasn't like her, not in the least. She knew herself well enough to know that she never got emotional when meeting someone new. To her, every meeting and social call was like a business transaction. Did this woman have some sort of enchantment against her? While Beri'ah couldn't think of any such that would exist, she wasn't one to take chances.
"The birds are done." She said, her voice suddenly clipped short and cold, "I have better things to do."
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Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 1:58 pm
Hrm, chirps? That‘s not what I heard.. She looked on at the bird clinging tightly to her gauntlet, the hungry bugger, it was eating every last scrap! Wait, did she just say call? Well yes, that was probably the most obvious answer, Roz, why didn’t you think of that in the first place? She scolded herself mentally, not knowing why she hadn’t asked that in the first place, of course these birds didn’t whistle, the noise had come from the female standing beside her. Maybe she couldn’t help it, after all, there was something strange about her, something that made it hard for Roz to function in her normal manner.
Slowly she turned her attention back, repeating what she had said quietly, “..Better things..?” She was leaving, so soon? Perhaps she just hadn’t realized that time hadn’t stood still for them both, even though they were away from the hustle and bustle going on down in the ursari caravan time had continued to creep steadily forward, the sun now visible overhead.
Her lips curled as she smiled gently, her eye closed for a few moments. “The birds, they live a life free of worries, free of cares; all they need to know is that they can soar higher into the heavens where nothing, no one can touch them.” Looking back to the gagan bird resting on her hand, she quickly clasped it in her hold before it could flutter away, it’s beak uttering a horribly frightened sound. “I think they should be reminded once in a while that they are bound to things that not even they can comprehend,” she kept her sadistic grin on her mug for a while, allowing the Thetana to see at least somewhat of her personality.
Her composure calmed slightly as she held the bird, her other hand stroking it gently to reassure it that it wouldn’t be endangered any more than it had been. “If you let something run free for too long, it becomes feral, practically impossible to re-tame..” Roz let the bird fall from her hands gently, keeping her eye on the bird keeper, ignoring the bird as it quickly flew into a tree to hide from her. “I do hope you remember that,” she gave yet another smirk, hoping her message would get across to her.
Turning her back to the female she clasped her hands behind her head, “Right then, you have things to do, please don’t bore yourself, it would be a pity if something wasted your precious time… Good day.” And with that she was off, taking her time as she headed back towards the covered wagons in the distance.
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Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 2:16 pm
Did she think knight in shining armor? Why no, no she didn't. That woman was the spawn of a demon that was sent as the tormentor of all things good and a blasphemy upon nature. There was no serene personality, just a sadistic wretch of a thing!
Beri'ah's eyes were ice cold, her glare unforgiving, "Fear does not earn their respect and loyalty." Her own message was harsh, her voice dripping with warning, "They stay with us because it suits both our needs. They were a dwindling species due to their dietary needs, and we give them what they need. We do not worry about their being feral or tame."
As she watched the other woman turn away, she pressured her anger to a dull simmer, trying to recompose herself as she gave her last words, "You had no right to bring about any form of captivity upon them."
At that, she turned away with basket at hand, stomping her hooves in a petty attempt at anger. How dare that woman! Beri'ah slammed the basket back in its place inside the wagon, closing her eyes as her brows furrowed. Why did she let that woman get to her so much? It wasn't the first time someone had unkindly gripped a bird. Of course, that was usually because of a curious child, but it was the idea behind it.
The rest of the day passed with a buzz of frustration about her. No matter how many times she quelled her emotions, the rage towards the nameless Ursari managed to resurface and pester her once again. If she saw that woman again, she would.. would.. give her a proper lecture!
Beri'ah noted by dinner time that her master had been watching her with a worried eye, though she shook it off and put up a smile. By the time she returned home to her own family's wagon, time had blunted the sharp edge of the memory, allowing her to bury it in the graveyard of unwanted emotions.
No matter. The chances of them meeting again were slim. She was a respectable young woman in training for a promising career, and she wouldn't lose her cover for anything, or anyone.
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Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 4:50 pm
For the rest of the day Roz chuckled to herself, the memory of the red-faced ursari from her morning adventure kept appearing in her mind over and over. It wasn’t that she wanted to keep recalling the memory, although she believed her attitude to be silly, getting frustrated over someone whom she didn’t even know; why would she get so flustered if she thought she had better things to do? Roz wouldn’t have normally attempted to harm the bird, she wasn’t one for harming nature unless absolutely necessary. It was just.. something about the other woman irked her, made her want to poke and prod at her until her defenses crumbled and nothing but her true self was exposed. She could easily tell she was hiding behind facades, but what was her reason for doing so? Something inside of her urged her to find out… but why?
The night proved to be even more difficult, the memory still haunting her as she tossed and turned in her sleeping bag on the hard ground. She tried staring into the nearby fire, watching the dying flames lick up at the cool air. But that didn’t work, she was still there. She tried looking up at the sky, the small blinking lights trying their best to lull her to sleep. But that didn’t work, she was still there. Finally she just gave up, burying her head in her forearm she closed her eye, trying her best to drift off. Boy was it a long night.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
“…Take…office…” A voice drifted in and out of her consciousness as she tried to block out who was talking to her. “Hey, Roz, are you listening to me?”
“What?!” She grumbled, turning away from whomever was disturbing her sleep.
Her master gave a slight huff, tossing a small item at her face. “I said I need you to mail this for me today, be quick about it. I have other things to do in preparation so wake up, lazy bones.” And with that all that she heard was the slight sound of hooves on the ground, walking away from her. Finally, she could enjoy what little time she had left to herself.
After about half an hour, Roz decided it would be best if she had followed her master’s orders, after all, it’s not like anyone else had offered to teach her. Washing up and having a bit to eat she proceeded to pick up the small scroll. What could it be, she wondered, Probably a letter for our next employer. Shrugging lightly she picked up her armor and left for the center of the caravan, dressed and ready for the day.
Carelessly, she walked through the center of life for the caravan, merchants from every family shouting out for all to hear in hopes that someone would have the riches necessary for their respective trade. She paid no attention as she kept her focus forward, not even to a pitivo man leaping out in front of her and commenting on her armor and how it should be tempered. “Not now,” she pushed him aside as she kept on her path, the wagon for the ursari post office.
The designated wagon looked rather messy as she stood before it, unimpressed. There were pages of one letter here stacked atop a book while another letter was tied with a scroll somewhere over there, carefully assigned boxes for each ursari family as well as a multitude of other slots for each individual ursari filled with letters that hadn’t been claimed for weeks… It all just seemed like a waste of time to Roz for anyone to even bother to sort through the mess. And that’s when she noticed them, those same horns she had seen the morning before.
Her eye narrowed instinctively as she approached the front of the wagon, waiting patiently for the familiar bird keeper to notice her. She kept herself entertained, watching her for a few moments, busily moving from one side of the carriage to the other. A small, happy smile somehow found its way onto her face before Roz realized it, quickly hiding such a dead giveaway of emotion.
She was growing tired of waiting and decided to call out to her rather confidently, “I don’t believe we were properly introduced the other morning. Would you care to grace me with your name?” She placed her right hand atop the wooden slab of a counter as she continued with a compliment in hopes of buttering her up, “Though I’m sure it wouldn’t do someone of your beauty justice..” She felt enthralled for some reason, obviously not from the wondrous sleep she had gotten, perhaps it was her hope of meeting her once more that was being realized?
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Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 11:18 pm
With the every morning routine, the young Thetana girl was up feeding the birds and quickly prancing back to the post office. It was another lovely morning, with the sun beaming and the birds chirping, the mysterious Ursari talking and the flowers budding..
Wait. What?
Beri'ah swivled on her polished hoof, sending a flat glare directly at the woman who was holding the top position of her Almost-Hate list (and the only one on the list, she might add. As a matter of fact, no lists had existed before yesterday.) The day was turning quickly down the path to Gloomsville.
"Oh yes, because asking for another's name before introducing themself is the proper manner of things." Beri'ah said lightly, her disdain clearing dancing on the edge of her words. If the warrior was looking for a good morning kiss on the cheek alongside a cup of roasted beans, she was sadly mistaken, "Don't you have some defenseless creature to slay?"
Not only did this woman dare come here and mock her, but she came here to her own territory! Which swiftly reminded her that her own master was just inside the wagon. With a quick U-turn to give anyone whiplash, Beri'ah gave a pleasant smile, "That is to say, did you have any mail you'd like to deliver?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 12:44 am
The fighter chuckled inwardly, she had made the other girl’s head spin not once, but twice! What luck. The morning really was turning out to be a great one. That is, the mud slinging aside, the little minx had once more sent verbal daggers out in attack for poor defenseless Roz. For shame.
For the time being she ignored her comments, it all must simply be a misunderstanding. Yes, that’s what it was. The one eyed female agreed, the way she had greeted her the other morning hadn’t exactly been one of her best… But what was in the past now couldn’t be helped, at least, she didn’t think any ursari had made a past correction serum yet…
Giving a small grin she tried her flattery once more, “Well, I see the golden lark has changed her tune. But for the better or worse, I’m not yet sure. I guess I‘ll just have to find out more for myself.” She tried her best to stall, now leaning her upper body along the counter-like surface. “If what you said is true, shouldn’t you be the one handing out the introduction seeing as how you greeted me first?“ She flashed a small smile, not waiting for her answer for she knew she was right; she always had a way to win certain points of an argument and she wasn’t one for holding back.
“Now, I assume this is where you study, is that right?” Her eye roamed along the insides of the wagon, taking hints from her surroundings before making another guess. “I’m guessing you’re not from the Pitivo family, much too clean in here for such a line of work.” Once more she was poking fun though she didn’t intentionally mean any harm; she just wanted to get as much conversation out of her as she could. However, judging from the slight air of discomfort radiating from the now agitated keeper, she decided it would be better to talk later rather than when she was working.
“..Right then, my mail.” Reaching a hand between her chest plate and body suit, she produced the scroll that had made contact with her face just an hour ago. It was accompanied with another smaller scroll, one with the letter’s designated location written clearly in ink. She placed them both down on the table in front of the assistant, her hands lingering on them for a few moments longer than necessary. “So…what more exactly would you need from me to get these out?” She had never handled such a transaction before, her eye glancing away from the wagon as if to hide her naivety.
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Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 8:27 am
Snatching the scroll out of the woman's hands, Beri'ah kept on her carefully woven mask of a smile. She was writing some things down and glancing at the address every few seconds, going to the back of the wagon. When she reached in for a scroll case and location stone, Beri'ah jumped when she saw her master sitting inside. His figure was unmoving, though the expression on his face was slighly amused as he cast a look that said she should look forward to a talk later. He handed her the two stones she needed, to which she gave a polite nod. It was too early for her to work with the stones, he had explained when she had first started working under his guiding hand.
Inwardly cringing, Beri'ah leaned back out with the items at hand, "I did not greet you first today. Yesterday is irrelevant in in the face of today."
She knew her words made her a terrible hypocrit of her as somehow she couldn't quite drop her anger towards the other. Still, it was almost adorable how the woman was trying to suck up to her, though she couldn't imagine why. With an indignant huff, Beri'ah decided that it must be because the Ursari found out she worked at the post office and didn't want her mail messed up. No matter how much she disliked her, Beri'ah considered herself a professional, even if she was in training.
"Air mail is generally worth more than mail by wagon, but it is also a lot faster. A bird can fly over a mountain much easier than a wagon can climb up a rock cliff afterall." Beri'ah began reciting the familiar terms, grounding herself in the stable repitition it provided, "Due to unpredictible nature and circumstances, we cannot be liable for lost mail. However when the bird returns with a note from the other outpost, we will be aware of its status as lost and give you the opportunity to send a duplicate free of charge. For an additional price, you may also purchase a personalized charm stone for delivery directly to you from one of our younger birds after it goes through here."
Beri'ah was feeling more confident in herself. This is what she knew, what she did, and she wouldn't let this woman move her. She had dealt with angry customers before, was used to dealing in a myriad of emotional storms, but it was the first time she herself had to deal with such issues. The girl simply didn't know how to cope with it other than locking herself into routine.
The apprentice revealed a paper with a price chart and a general item equivalency guide, calculating the distance to destination and giving an estimated time. She accepted the payment and put it in the back of the wagon (once again ignoring the look from her master, who was supposed to be updating the maps with new outpost locations) before putting the scroll into the tube. She gave a whistle, this one going from a low to a high tune. In response, several of the closer birds fluttered down, some perching about the caravan, and another on her arm. With the swiftness of habit, Beri'ah tied the scroll to the gagan bird's foot, handing over the destination and return rocks while giving the bird a quick health inspection.
At that, she rose her arm and the four wings beat through the air, rising higher into the sky and arching over the horizon on its long journey. Beri'ah turned back to the woman, who she now had to consider a polite customer. She did, however, have a bit of a triumphant smirk on, "Roz, is it?"
Her voice was as light as air, a paper with the return address flicking between her fingers. There was no way she'd let the warrior dominate her emotions all day, "A bit of a short name, but I suppose it gives all its emphasis in that one syllable. It's a good name for a fighter." She hadn't actually been intending on giving a compliment, but it had managed to sneak out regardless, "Anyways, the letter shall be there in just a few days, and we'll get the arrival confirmation letter and any replies at the end of the week. I'll forward it to your family's wagon for pick up."
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Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 10:58 am
She drifted off in a slight daze, the fluidity of the Thetana’s speech putting her in a trance with its routine company policies. Roz didn’t even realize it but she was subconsciously following her orders, handing over the necessary funds to send her master’s letter in the quickest possible way. Elbows on the shelf, she couldn’t help but stare at her as she went through her practiced actions of calling the proper bird, her whistle seemingly calling to Roz as well.
Noticing the strange smirk on her face however called her to attention. What‘s she so happy about? Something inside her, beneath all her armor, stirred as she had spoke her name. Dangit, I didn‘t tell her my--that stupid letter! She smacked herself mentally, hoping that she wouldn’t find out her name so soon, especially without her even telling her! It took away from the mysterious attitude she thought she held towards the other female.
The purple-haired girl decided to make due though, it wasn’t so bad, the other seemed to like her name with the compliment she had just given. “Er, really? Well, I mean, of course it’s a great name.” Roz partly cringed at the thought of having to go to her family’s post office to pick up the letter. She knew it wouldn’t be much of a problem, but she probably wouldn’t be treated too kindly. Besides, the Ba’al post office was lacking one thing, a pretty blue-eyed attendant.
She smirked, looking back up at the stranger, “Well, fair’s fair. You know my name now it’s time for me to know yours.” She waited with baited breath, hoping to at least get her name this time around; she didn't think she could take not calling her by name. Or perhaps she could come up with a name to call her, that wouldn't be so hard. "Or shall I be calling you Bird Brains till you decide to tell me?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 11:35 am
Beri'ah felt that she had never glared so much in her life as she had these past two days, "Bird brains? That's the best you can come up with?"
The girl furrowed her brows, then in a panicked huff she grabbed the woman by the shoulders, spun her around and marched her forward to the edge of their wagon's area, "Thank you for your business! Just keep a lookout for that letter in a week and I hope you have a nice life." With a moment's pause, she added a bit more quietly, as if an after thought, "And keep practicing in the mornings, Roz."
Without waiting for a reply, Beri'ah turned and strode towards the wagon, climbing in through the back and taking a seat on a wooden file box. Everything suddenly seemed quiet again, the air buzzing with the weight of the silence. She stared at her hands, a tingling sensation from where she had touched Roz to push her out.
"I've never seen you so energetic." The male voice sliced through the silence, a bemused tone accompanying the words.
"Master Talon," Beri'ah looked up, her face a confusion of guilt, frustration, and something she didn't know how to identify, "I apologize for my behavior, but I have made amends and shall be more polite henceforth."
The old man chuckled, shaking his head, "Dear, I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but I must say that you've surprised me. I've never seen such a side of you. What is it you're trying to do?"
His voice wasn't reprimanding, but was of true curiosity. The Thetana girl clasped her hands together, her blue eyes staring at the wooden floor, "I don't know."
She finally admitted, mostly to herself than to him. Beri'ah was the girl who knew what she wanted, knew how to get it and what to do. She didn't know how not to know something, "I don't know, but, it's not.. It's not wrong, I don't think."
Talon's face molded from shock to something more gentle, the look he gave the young birds as they learned to fly, "Do what you feel is right, not what you think is right." That was all he said before waving his hand and turning back to his papers, a clear dismissal.
Beri'ah gave a weak smile, struggling with her throat to make words, "It doesn't matter. I doubt she'll be around here again." She stood then, neatly brushing the invisible dust off her clothes before settling down in a chair beside him to observe the processes. The rest of the day was buried in work, piles of papers completed and rocks discussed. There wasn't enough work to do, to bury her her fears with thoughts of logic, the pain of loss clawing at her from the inside. It was a long day, and by the time she returned home she felt like a wavering ghost, tired and stressed. She fell asleep, deep, with plaguing dreams of that cursed woman.
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